5 greatest IPL all-rounders of all time

Any T20 team needs world-class all-rounders to strike the right balance between batting and bowling, and franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL) are no different.

Over the years, various top-quality T20 all-rounders have contributed regularly in both departments and become vital components of not only their IPL sides but their national teams as well.

In this article, we attempt to rank the 5 greatest all-rounders the IPL has ever seen.

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#5 Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja's stellar Chennai Super Kings career often leads fans to forget that he has been a winner in the IPL right from the outset (he won the 2008 edition with the Rajasthan Royals).

Apart from a one-year ban for "breaching player guidelines", Jadeja has been a consistent performer. His batting has taken off only recently, but he has always been one of the first names on the teamsheet at any side he has been part of.

Jadeja has scored 2,159 runs in the IPL at an average of 25.40 and a strike rate of 126.47, while he has picked up 114 wickets in 184 games at an economy rate of 7.67. Nothing needs to be said about his otherworldly fielding.

Jadeja is on the wrong side of 30, but is still fitter than most cricketers in the world. We may see him higher up on this list when he calls it a day.

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#4 Andre Russell

Andre Russell

Barring a tough spell with the Delhi Daredevils, a doping ban and a poor IPL 2020 campaign, Andre Russell has been one of the league's biggest match-winners over the years.

Destructive as they come with the bat and a handy bowler at the death, the Caribbean all-rounder has scored 1,517 runs at a strike rate of 182.33 and picked up 61 wickets at an economy rate of 8.96. He has won the Most Valuable Player award on two separate occasions for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Russell isn't as limber as he once was, but he remains a player who can take the game away from the opposition in the matter of a few deliveries.

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#3 Shane Watson

Shane Watson

Another player who has won the MVP award twice, Shane Watson didn't bowl much during his time with MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings. But for the majority of his IPL career, he contributed in both departments consistently.

Watson was the Rajasthan Royals' most important player for a number of years in the IPL, and played a crucial role in their run to the inaugural IPL title. The Aussie all-rounder has tallied 3,874 runs at an average of 30.99 and a strike rate of 137.91, along with 92 wickets in 145 games at an economy rate of 7.93.

Watson retired after IPL 2020, but with a Man of the Final award and plenty of sizzling knocks under his belt, he is an indelible part of league folklore.

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#2 Kieron Pollard

Kieron Pollard

An integral part of each of the Mumbai Indians' five title wins, Kieron Pollard comes in at #2 on this list of the greatest IPL all-rounders of all time. The West Indies T20I skipper has scored 3,203 runs in the competition at an average of 29.93 and a strike rate of 149.87, and has taken 60 wickets in 164 matches.

Electric in the field and always dangerous with the bat, Pollard has single-handedly pulled off many a win for MI in the IPL. He only seems to be getting better with age, and stepped in as captain of the side in IPL 2020 when Rohit Sharma was injured.

By the time his career gets over, Pollard could finish with the top honours on this list.

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#1 Dwayne Bravo

Dwayne Bravo

Kieron Pollard could have easily been #1 on this list, but it is arguable that Dwayne Bravo has had more of an impact with the bat than Pollard has had with the ball. As a result, the Chennai Super Kings all-rounder pips his countryman to the top spot, and the numbers back up this claim.

Bravo has scored 1,490 runs at an average of 22.57 and a strike rate of 128.22, and truth be told, he hasn't been needed with the bat too much in the teams he has played for. The Windies star has also picked up 153 wickets in 140 games at an economy rate of 8.4, and has been CSK captain MS Dhoni's most trusted lieutenant at the death over the years.

Bravo has been hit by injuries, and his bowling has suffered a drop in pace. We are seeing him near the end of his stellar T20 career, but it mustn't be forgotten how good he was in his prime.